Taproot is a queer paranormal romance about Hamal, the gardener who can see ghosts, and Blue, the ghost who falls in love with him. Of course, people aren't really supposed to see ghosts, so some problems arise with a dark forest and a Reaper showing up...

Overall, the thing I loved most about this graphic novel was how cute and warm it was. The illustrations were so colourful and soft, that I'd love to own a copy just to look at the pages once in a while. Another thing I liked was the diversity: most of the characters, including the main mlm couple, were people of colour. I also think this book had a more positive, less scary approach to death: it's more about the balance between life and death. The only thing I didn't love was the pacing, which isn't unusual for graphic novels.

This was a nice, heartwarming read with a happy ending which I would recommend to any (queer) readers who love graphic novels, fluffy romance and just a little bit of angst.

I'd like to thank Oni Press for providing this copy via Netgalley in exchange for an unbiased review.

e-arc provided by Netgalley

This was very cute and I loved the way that it ended. also the artwork was beautiful

Thank you to NetGalley, Oni Press, and Keezy Young for giving me a free digital copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This book is absolutely adorable, and the illustrations are gorgeous. It really felt like I was reading something out of Studio Ghibli with the style and the light green color theme.

The first half felt a little rushed and I would have enjoyed a little more time to develop the characters and their relationship, but I still feel really connected to the characters. When Blue kisses Hamal and says “I’m so in love with you,” I squealed and then almost started tear up as he began to disappear. I am glad I continued to read (and not immediately throw my phone and stop reading while I cried) because the beautiful imagery of the tree, and then Blue walking up made me very happy.

ALSO, I really love the way this novel approaches death and the idea of supernatural beings around deaths (ghosts, reapers etc). I sometimes find humor in YA/NA books to be embarrassing, but this novel nicely incorporated the comedy in the boys’ interactions with the Reaper and other ghosts.

Overall, really enjoyed this book and will definitely pick up again when I’m in the need of a pick-me-up book.

5⭐️ (review also availabile on my goodreads)

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for this eARC of "Taproot" by Keezy Young.

This graphic novel was so lovely and heartfelt, Keezy Young is such a talent. Each character was written perfectly and I got invested in Blue and Hamal. Taproot is a perfect Queer Graphic Novel for anyone and definitely recommend it.

Thank you to Netgalley and Oni Press for the chance to review!

I thoroughly enjoyed Taproot! I loved the art style, the colors used, and the storyline. In fact, my only complaint is that I wish it was longer. I loved how different colors were used based on the character's status (alive, dead, or something...else? ie the repears). I think the subtle discussion on grief/lose/touching on life's big questions on death was well done! I really enjoyed the kind of mix of creepy/gothic and light-hearted/whimsical mix that happened throughout. I loved the story line, and Hamal and Blue were so cute, Hamal being such a dork added a bit of light-heartedness that was needed! I think I would have liked things the story to go into deeper detail to explain more but overall I really enjoyed this!

Thanks to Netgalley for providing me with an e-arc for an honest review!

Taproot is a wholesome little story about a gardener and a ghost. The art style fits really well with the whimsical, sometimes a bit creepy, elements of the story. I love all the different illustrations of nature and how you can really feel 'motion' in it. Would recommend if you're looking for a graphic novel with nature magic/magical realism!

That being said, the plot feels a bit disjointed at times. It jumps from one plot point to another quite abruptly and the story would have moved me more if things are explained more.

This felt like I was watching a studio gibhli movie. It was so cute. The color and illustrations were perfect and matched so well with the theme. One thing that I was really impressed by was how the illustrations shifted from darked tones back to the soft green ones. This was absolutely adorable mad wholesome and the characters were so cute.

This was such a sweet read. I loved so many things about it - the story, the characters, the artwork, the LGBTQIA+ representation.

The story had me really intrigued from an early point and I liked the overall tone the story has in regards to death.

Some of the plot points felt really unexplained due to time leaps that bypassed too much story, however, this seems to only affect the first half of the book.

I'm keen for there to be more books in this title as the characters are really engaging and I love the artwork.

Thank you to NetGalley, Oni Press, and Keezy Young for giving me a free digital copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Links to reviews will be updated closer to the publication date.

This is a queer paranormal romance. The paranormal elements are interesting and offer a sweet perspective to things generally depicted as harsh and evil. The romance element has a tinge of tragedy that is quickly washed away to become a fulfilling love story.

I love the art of this graphic novel. The color palette is particularly appealing, contrasting the real world and the world of the dead with ease and in a way that makes reading along a pleasant experience. Yet, the story as a whole at times feels jumpy and unconnected.

Jumpiness is common in the graphic novels, but in this one may not be working in favor of good storytelling, but creating gaps that left me wondering, did I skip a page?

Nonetheless, I enjoyed getting to know Blue and Hamal but my favorite character is by far the very mysterious and quite mischievous Reaper.

This is a beautifully illustrated comic about a ghost who falls in love with the only person who can see him. I don't read graphic novels very often, but the gorgeous art and heartwarming romance in Taproot has made me want to check out Keezy Young's other work. I would definitely recommend this, especially to those who enjoy colorful art, supernatural elements, and sweet love stories.

Without spoiling the plot, I will say this was a super sweet love story with some creepy hijinks/mystery-solving mixed in. I was surprised by the mystery element! The art was also beautiful. If you enjoyed any of the Tea Dragon Society books or even Aquicorn Cove, you’ll probably enjoy this. It was such a soft book.

Firstly, the illustrations are so beautiful!! I love the contrast between the murky and dark colours, this was done really well, and I think the artwork is unique.

I loved the plot, the characters and the dialogue! It's a very cute and wholesome read with a tinge of sadness. I also love how it's LGBTQ+ inclusive as well.

This was a lovely read, and I didn't expect one of the twists towards the end! There's nothing I can fault about this novel. It makes you feel a plethora of emotions from happiness to sadness, from sympathy to that heartwarming feeling.

Absolutely adorable and creepy love story. This was a needed wholesome story with a nice little twist. I'd love to read more stories about Hamal & Blue's adventures.

Taproot is a super cute love story! its a really positive way to look at death and has some beautiful illustrations!

an incredibly cute, queer and slightly spooky friends to lovers story. could see this becoming a series like Heartstopper

also the illustrations are beautiful!

I was given an arc of this recently and was excited to pick it up. A queer fantasy graphic novel? Right up my street!

The illustrations in this are gorgeous and the story feels very whimsical. I did feel quite confused - at certain points I was convinced I had missed a few pages as it didn't make sense, but I hadn't.

I enjoyed this, but didn't love it.

Thank you to NetGalley, Oni Press and Keezy Young for an e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

3.5 stars!

This was really cute! I absolutely loved the artwork and how colorful every single page in Taproot was. The romance between Hamal and Blue was so wholesome.

The only negatives to this book is that I wanted more! I wanted the whole necromancy thing to be explained more because it left me kind of confused. I also would’ve loved to see the romance between Hamal and Blue when it was first developing. Since the majority of the story was 1-2 years after they met.

Overall though, I’d recommend this to literally everyone. It’s a really cute story and a quick read!

This was so great and sweet, and I loved the art and the colors! I really enjoyed Hamal and Blue's story and how sweet they both were. I loved the plants and the ghosts and Hamal's connection to both. This was just really great and queer and adorable!

3.75*
Taproot is a queer contemporary romance between a gardener and a ghost. It's cute, calming and beautifully drawn.

My favourite part of the graphic novel was easily the art style. Relying on a pastell palette, with clear lines but soft shapes, the author creates a calming, harmonious atmosphere that keeps your eyes on the page and your lips curved in a smile. The colour sceme of mostly blue, green and blue shades - accenutated at times by pastell pink add to that.

There were only three characters of real importance:
Hamal - a gardener with a soft-spoken, calm personality, who tends to melancholy but has a big heart for those around him (both people and plants). He can see and interact with ghosts though he doesn't know why.

Blue - a ghost who struggles to move on to the afterlife. He's personable, teasing but encouraging, and in love with Hamal.

The Reaper - a supernatural entity of the afterlife, responsibly for keeping up the balance of life and death. She's sassy but and a bit cranky, only wanting to do her job. She's also a big fan of trashy romance novels.

As is often the case with standalone graphic novels, we don't really have the time to really explore these characters to their depth, and the other side characters are basically one note. It's still very easy to like these characters and to root for them. The romance is very cute, and it's nice to see a romance that's relying on romantic rather that sexual attraction (as ghosts and homans can't touch, not even Hamal).

While I found the plot a little fast moving, the things thta happend I liked. I can't really say much more without spoilers, There doesn't happen much and there's never much tension. But that's also not necissarily needed. It was a quick little pallet cleanser that was nice to look at with a couple I shipped from the start.
If you're looking for something similar, I recommend you give it a try.

ARC provided by NetGalley

[3.5*]
A short, sweet read with a really beautiful art style and use of colour. The characters and their relationship are cute, and the story is fun, however I do think ideally the plot lends itself more to a longer form graphic novel over a short story, for it to be more fully explored, as I do wish there was a little bit more depth to it. Regardless, I really enjoyed this and I think this will be an awesome little read over the summer for warm days sitting outside!